Mister Sive’s Pork Chili

April 1, 2020

Mister Sive is taking the wheel today, sharing his super popular pork chili which we enjoyed for an early supper last week by candlelight, even though it was still a bit light out.

A lot of nesting and cooking happening these days… My husband’s social media followers know that “comfort foods” are a big part of The Teds’ diet. The following hearty, homey meal tradition started a few years back and is now a standard each Fall and Winter when we’re at Hawthorne. Last week we were missing our little slice of Hudson Valley heaven, so we decided it was a good “sheltering-in-place” meal for here in Seattle.

The first stage of this meal begins with roasted pork. I’ll cover that meal in more detail in a later post. The main point is to serve a bone-in roast, such that the next day you have both a yummy and gnarly bone with marrow, and all sorts of leftover meaty goodies, enough, say, for a cup or two of 1/3-inch cut up cubes.

If you’re wondering, “Hey, Ted Sive, what’s this inexact ‘say, for a cup or two’,” please remember that as a cook I’m a major instinct guy, and specific amounts aren’t key. Go with your gut! That’s especially true for this dish, Pork Chili. We like this version because of its balance of beans, tomato, and spice, and then pork instead of the more typical beef.

Large dice, and then sauté over medium heat in a good sized heavy metal casserole or Dutch oven: a few good-sized glugs of EVOO; 1 large onion, maybe 1 ½ cups; and 3-4 carrots, again, maybe 1 ½ cups. Cook until just starting to get tender. Add the bone(s) and sauté a few more minutes to get everything browned.

While that mixture is browning, open and drain three 16 oz. cans of cooked beans. Your choice; my typical mix is 1 black, 1 white or garbanzo, and 1 red kidney.

Add the drained beans to the base, along with one 28 oz. can of pureed tomatoes and one 28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, and the diced pork.

Turn up heat until the mixture gets to a rolling boil, turn down to simmer, and then season to your chili choice. I like ground chili pepper, cumin, and dried oregano. A good amount of salt and lots of cracked pepper.

Lastly, add one 12 oz. bottle of your favorite beer.

Since all the ingredients are basically cooked by this point, you’re simmering to meld and merge the flavors, and develop depth. I like keeping it on the stove-top at the lowest simmer I can get, for a good hour or two. Taste and adjust a couple of times. It’s good to have a small can of tomato paste on-hand in case you want to thicken it up a bit, or, alternatively, add more beer to get more liquid.

Grate some cheddar cheese, bake up a corn-bread or serve with tortilla chips, crack a few more bottles of beer, and enjoy!